Soul Emperor Awakening

"Young Martial God. So the opponent on the Seventh Layer truly is the Martial God in his youth. What is the trial you have for me?" Lin Xuan was direct and didn’t want to waste any time. He was running out of it.

The Divine Martial Hall was about to open. If he didn’t pass this layer quickly, he would miss the opening. This was especially critical since it would only be open for two short months. Unlike last time, he couldn’t afford to stay here for several months, or even half a year.

According to the timeline Tuo Shengfeng had given him, he had to leave this place by the end of the month at the latest. If he didn’t, the Divine Martial Hall would have already opened. It wasn’t that he had to enter the moment it opened, but if he went in right before it closed again, there would be no point.

He could even get sealed inside, which was basically a death sentence. The waters of the Demon Cloud Sea would flood the hall; they wouldn’t be held back. Once submerged in that much seawater, there was no coming back up. Forget ordinary Cultivators—even experts at the Core Formation Stage Level would die in there.

So what if the residents of the Demon Cloud Sea could swim? If the water was too deep, they would never surface. To be engulfed by it was a one-way path to death.

"Since you’ve inherited my Martial Intent Power, you must defeat me using Martial Intent, just as before. There is no other way. A normal victory is only for those on the Sixth Layer who did not use Martial Intent to defeat my adolescent form; only they are allowed to use conventional attacks," the Youthful Martial God said. "You, the inheritor of this legacy, are different. You can only win with Martial Intent."

Lin Xuan had already figured as much, so he wasn’t surprised.

"Martial Intent!"

Without hesitation, Lin Xuan unleashed his Martial Intent, instantly coating his body with it. ’I need to end this quickly.’ He didn’t release the Martial Intent outward, but simply kept it layered on his body. This was its most potent application, maximizing its power, just as he had done before.

After being tempered several times in the Ice and Snow Tower, Lin Xuan’s Willpower had skyrocketed. The Martial Intent covering his body was much stronger than before. He took the initiative, charging at the Youthful Martial God and throwing a punch.

"A fine strike!"

The Youthful Martial God wasted no words. His eyes blazed with fighting spirit as he swung his Yanyue Saber down at Lin Xuan. His Martial Intent instantly flared, forming a colossal phantom of the Martial God behind him. It also held a Yanyue Saber, showing little change from the one the Adolescent Martial God had manifested.

The only difference was its aura. If the Martial Intent of the Adolescent Martial God could be described as somewhat ethereal, then the aura now erupting from the Youthful Martial God was one of absolute dominance, looking down on all others!

"One Slash to Cleave the Land!"

The Youthful Martial God didn’t condense his Martial Intent, simply striking down with it in its largest form. To him, no matter the size, its cohesive power remained unparalleled.

With this heavy cleave, the Yanyue Saber made of Martial Intent warped the very void as it descended. This was no longer a slash to cleave the land, but one to sunder the void itself.

Its horrifyingly dense power slashed down from above, and the void-shattering blade light descended upon Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan’s expression grew grave. He didn’t attack the Youthful Martial God, but instead struck at the descending blade light. His heavy punch met it like a needle striking a razor’s edge. BOOM! Lin Xuan was sent flying backward. A large section of his Martial Intent armor shattered, and a shallow gash appeared on his body, running from his shoulder down to his abdomen.

Blood flowed from the wound, but it quickly coagulated before much was lost. It was just a superficial injury, nothing serious.

In contrast, the Youthful Martial God’s slash was completely unharmed. It hadn’t been shattered by Lin Xuan’s punch; there wasn’t even a single crack. Clearly, Lin Xuan’s power had been insufficient to destroy the terrifying strike.

’Interesting. If I hadn’t dodged a bit at the last second, I really would’ve been sliced in two...’ Lin Xuan licked his lips. He had wanted to test what would happen if he clashed with his strongest power head-on. Who would have thought that not only would he fail to shatter the attack, but he would nearly be cleaved in half himself.

"I’d advise you not to get too comfortable," the Youthful Martial God said coolly. "I won’t be showing any mercy. If you get cut in half, don’t blame me."

He truly hadn’t held back, and a hint of shock flickered in his eyes. Although Lin Xuan had been wounded and knocked back, it didn’t mean the Youthful Martial God had a major advantage. Lin Xuan’s terrifying punch had knocked his Martial Intent off course. It hadn’t shattered, but at least Lin Xuan had been able to withstand it.

’If this is the full extent of Lin Xuan’s strength, then this is the end of the line for him. But if that was only half his power, his next punch could shatter this Martial Intent completely.’

’To be defeated in such a short amount of time would be truly shocking. Even though I am but a Divine Thought of the Martial God, my power is by no means weak. For Lin Xuan, at his young age, to be able to clash with me head-on... his future achievements will surely be limitless!’

At this thought, a smile touched the Youthful Martial God’s arrogant expression. The very purpose of their existence was to find an even more formidable successor.

"Don’t worry, if I really get sliced in half, I absolutely won’t blame you," Lin Xuan said with a smile. He had only been probing the Youthful Martial God’s strength.

’I have to get an accurate measure of the power level here. That’s the only way to properly estimate if I’m strong enough for the Eighth Layer. If I’m not, going up would be a waste of the reward opportunity.’

"I think my estimations are complete. It’s time to defeat you." Lin Xuan retrieved the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod from his Storage Ring. In that same instant—Fourth Layer Soul Possession!

Demon Evil Monarch, Fox King, Young Martial God, and Youlan Emperor! All four were at the peak of the Core Formation Stage. As they fused completely within his body, a heaven-shaking aura erupted with a thunderous ROAR.

FWOOSH!

Yulan Sacred Fire burst forth from the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod in his hands, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet. A great mass of the sacred fire enveloped his entire body. With the possession of four peak-level souls, his Spiritual Power surged, and the Martial Intent coating his body became several times stronger than before.

At the same time, the Yulan Sacred Fire spread over the Martial Intent, making him look like a Blue Flame War God!

In the blink of an eye, his aura was worlds apart from what it had been moments ago, stunning the Youthful Martial God. ’Is the gap between then and now... a bit too large? Could this be Lin Xuan’s true power?’

"Interesting. Truly interesting! I never imagined that the first Cultivator to reach the Eighth Layer in so many years would be this powerful. My long wait has not been in vain!"

The Youthful Martial God let out a great laugh, his own aura rising once more. He maintained his display of Martial Intent, which hadn’t changed much, but he already knew that this battle was Lin Xuan’s to win.